Which countries are home to the most educated people in Europe?

When it comes to competition for jobs and resources, education has always been a crucial factor in our sucess.

The adult population in Europe with tertiary education, which is the highest level, considerably varies across the continent, according to the available data.

On the average, almost one third aged 25-74 years in the European Union have a higher education degree, including public and private universities, colleges, technical training institutes, and vocational schools. Educational level also varies with age and gender.

So which countries have the highest rate of higher education in Europe, how do educational levels vary across Europe, and which countries pay more attention to vocational education? Euronews Next crunches the data.

Educational levels are defined as low (less than high school), middle (high school), or high (university studies).

European data agency Eurostat’s classification is based upon the International standard classification of education (ISCED), and refers to:

● Low: pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education (ISCED levels 0–2);

● Medium: upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED levels 3 and 4);

● High: tertiary education (ISCED levels 5–8). It includes public and private universities, colleges, technical training institutes, and vocational schools.

In 2022, 31.8 per cent of people aged 25-74 years in the EU had a higher educational attainment, ranging from 17.4 per cent in Romania to 49.8 per cent in Ireland.

Shares of higher education graduates were higher than the EU average in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Sweden and Norway ranked third and fourth with over 45 per cent of tertiary education graduates.

Of the Latvian population, 44 per cent had a higher education